The present invention relates to a wall mount for a wireless remote control.
There has been a trend in recent years to the use of wireless remote controls for use in controlling a ceiling fan and/or lighting fixture. Specifically, these remote controls may control the on/off and speed of the ceiling fan and the direction of rotation of the ceiling fan. Similarly, the remote control may control the on/off and intensity of the light from a lighting fixture. When a ceiling fan and lighting fixture are combined in a single unit, then the remote control can provide all of the above features for both the ceiling fan and the lighting fixture in an independent fashion.
Typically, the ceiling fan and/or lighting fixture is installed in an existing ceiling electrical box and with the existing wall switch used to control the application of power to the ceiling electrical box. The ceiling fan and/or lighting fixture includes a receiver unit which controls the passage of power through the existing ceiling electrical box to the newly installed fixture. Therefore, the existing wall switch can be placed in an "on" position, but no power would be passed from the existing ceiling electrical box to the fixture until the remote control is activated to send out an appropriate signal.
The above type of wireless remote appears to be superseding other types of controls. For example, one type of control requires installation of special wiring between the wall switch and the ceiling electrical box. Another type of control is more sophisticated and include a remote control which is installed in place of the wall switch but which operates on the existing wiring between the wall switch and the ceiling electrical box.
One of the difficulties with the existing wireless remote controls is that they tend to be placed at a position in the room different than the wall switch. In other words, when one enters the room and wishes, for example, to turn on a light then it is necessary to first locate where the wireless remote is located before the light can be turned on. Similarly, the ceiling fan also requires that the remote be located before the ceiling fan can be controlled.